SPARTANBURG, S.C. –Wofford College men's soccer alum Forrest Lasso '15 has signed to play with in GIF Sundsvall, a first division team in Sweden. He spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL.
 
During the 2021 season with the Rowdies he led the entire USL Championship with 154 clearances and 132 aerial duels won. Over the past five seasons, no player has recorded more clearances or won more aerial duels than Lasso, who was named to his fifth straight USL Championship All-League First Team. He was named the USL Championship Defender of the Year for the third time as the team advanced to the league title game.
 
Lasso played all but 45 minutes for the Rowdies in 2020, anchoring a back line that posted 8 clean sheets. Lasso was voted USL Championship Defender of the Year for his performance and was named to his fourth consecutive All-League First Team. He also won the Defender of the Year while with FC Cincinnati in 2018.
 
He played three seasons with Charleston from 2015-2017 before moving to Cincinnati for that club's final season in the USL Championship. He transitioned to MLS with FC Cincinnati in 2019 but was loaned to Nashville SC in late July. He also played one season for USL League Two's GPS Portland Phoenix in 2013.
 
"This is an unbelievable opportunity," said Lasso. "As an American who has dedicated my whole life to this game and my craft, to be given the opportunity to join a club with such great history and compete in top-tier European football is a dream come true. Being able to compete against new players, with different talents, on different stages will no doubt be a challenge, but a challenge I believe will only make me better."
 
Lasso was a four-year starter on defense for the Terriers with 71 career starts. He scored 14 career goals and eight assists for 36 career points in 71 games from 2011-14. Lasso earned All-Southern Conference honors three times and was a member of 2013 SoCon Regular Season Championship team. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, he graduated from Wofford in 2015 and was elected to the Wofford College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
 
GIF Sundsvall was established in 1903 and currently play in the Allsvenskan Series, the top division in the country. Their next match is February 19, 2022.